“The whole situation last year,” Sabedra said of Conway. “It created a monster.”

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The Trojans won the Class 3A state title in 2018 on a goal with less than 30 seconds left in overtime. But Conway missed that championship game against Zionsville, relegated to watching Robbie Capehart head home Bailey Arthur’s corner kick, because of an accumulation of yellow cards.

Conway received one each in the semistate, regional final and sectional opener, with the Chesterton camp disagreeing with at least two of those cards issued.

“It was really hard,” Conway said. “But I knew the guys were going to get it done. We were going to pull through that game, and most of us would be coming back next year and we’d have a shot at it again.”

Indeed, Chesterton returns eight starters. That includes Conway, who totaled 18 goals and eight assists, was an honorable mention all-state selection and an Allstate All-American.

Heading into this season, he has drawn on the manner in which his last season ended.

“He’s had a great preseason and he’s going to have a great season,” Sabedra said of Conway. “He wants nothing more than to go back to the state championship game and be in that situation but on the field this time.

“He was devastated about all of that, and I can absolutely imagine why. I know he’s motivated.”

“He’s always had confidence,” Sabedra said of Conway. “But his confidence in his ability to score is even higher now. He’s willing to take anyone on one-on-one, and on top of that, he’s a creator as well. You get that combination in your front line, it’s dangerous.

“Between him and our other forwards, who also have that same capability, those are the kind of guys you want. They can work together and be a complete threat on their own.”

Conway takes pride in representing Chesterton’s soccer program. His brother Ethan was a goalkeeper who graduated in 2017. And his father Jason coached the girls for four seasons from 2014 to 2017.

“I’ve been around it so long,” Seth said. “I know what it means to go deep in the tournament. It was good for the whole school and the whole community.

“Everything that happened, it makes me want to go back to the state finals even more, and we can do it. We’re all on the same page, our chemistry level is really high, and I just want to be the best teammate I can to help us go back.”

“He has all the tools,” Sabedra said of Conway. “He’s played every position for us since he was a freshman — outside back, center back, center mid. Last year he was outside on the wing. This year he’ll be up top. He can really play anything, play anywhere we need him.

“Even this year, he said, ‘If you need me to play as a center back, I will.’ I told him, ‘No, I think we need you scoring.’ And we think he’s going to be scoring a lot.”